Are Alaska's critical minerals worth the cost of extraction? Locals weigh in

Alaska has approved permits for a proposed industrial road that would cut through 211 miles of pristine arctic wilderness. President Trump fast-tracked approval for the Ambler Road project earlier this month, as part of a broader push to capitalize on the state's vast oil, gas and mineral reserves.

The road would give mining companies access to a vast trove of untapped copper, cobalt and rare-earth minerals, but environmental groups and some Alaska Natives oppose the project.

Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd speaks with two of them: PJ Simon, chief of Allakaket Village, says the road will lead to jobs and a better life for those in his community.

Karmen Monigold, an Inupiaq member of the northwest Arctic advocacy group Protect the Kobuk, sees an ecological catastrophe waiting to happen.